In a report sent to the media by the UN on Tuesday, July 7, a human rights expert believes that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani has been killed in an arbitrary and illegal manner. According to her, during the American raid carried out last January in Iraq, Washington did not demonstrate that the soldier posed an immediate danger. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, concludes that "in the absence of an imminent life-threatening threat, the way in which the United States operates was illegal " and violates the Charter of United Nations.
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The expert, who is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, is due to present her report on Thursday to this UN body, from which the United States has withdrawn. in 2018.
The document relates more generally to the use of drones in targeted assassinations, but almost half of the report concerns Soleimani. Architect of Iran's Middle East Strategy, mighty General Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard branch responsible for the Islamic Republic's external operations, was killed on January 3 by an American air strike in front of the international airport. of Baghdad, with his lieutenant, the Iraqi Abou Mehdi al-Mouhandis, leader of the pro-Iran paramilitaries in this country.
"In light of the evidence provided to date by the United States, the targeting of General Soleimani, and the deaths of those accompanying him, constitute an arbitrary assassination for which the United States is responsible under international humanitarian law Says Ms. Callamard in her report. Justifying the order to kill him, US President Donald Trump had assured after his death that Soleimani, whom he called "the number one terrorist " in the world, was preparing " imminent " attacks on American diplomats and soldiers.
In retaliation for the elimination of Soleimani, Iran launched missiles on January 8 against Iraqi military bases sheltering Americans, causing significant material damage but without causing death in the ranks of the American army, according to Washington. .
" No evidence " of imminent attack
In her report, Ms. Callamard rejects the argument put forward by Donald Trump, stressing that the United States has not shown that the general " posed an imminent threat ", that they could not wait to strike him, and that 'They were not able to ask the Iraqi government for " permission " to kill him.
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According to the French expert, Washington has failed to demonstrate that his assassination was " necessary ". " No evidence has been provided that General Soleimani was specifically planning an imminent attack on American interests, particularly in Iraq, for which immediate action was necessary and would have been justified, " the report said.
And, he continues, " there has been no evidence to show that the United States did not have time to seek the assistance of the international community, including the United Nations Security Council, to do so. in the face of suspected imminent threats ”. Ms. Callamard also considers that, even in the event of imminent danger to the United States on Iraqi soil, " there is no evidence that Iraq was unable or unwilling to defend American forces on its territory ”.